HYDERABAD: Polling for the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) recognised union elections concluded on Friday, with 34,182 of the 34,905 employees voting, recording a turnout of 98%. The elections, held after a gap of nearly 10 years, saw 12 trade unions in the fray, with the Employees Union (EU) and Telangana Workers Union (TWU) alliances emerging as the principal contenders.
Polling began at 5 am and continued until 6 pm at 115 polling centres across 97 depots. Employees cast two votes each — one to elect the state-level recognised union and another for the regional-level recognised union.
Returning Officer and Joint Commissioner of Labour Sunitha Gopal Das said polling was conducted smoothly across all depots. Turnout stood at 99% in the Greater Hyderabad zone, 98% in Hyderabad and 97% in Karimnagar.
Vote counting continued late into the night. Drivers and conductors on duty in other states were given the opportunity to cast postal ballots on October 14 and 15. The official results, including the votes secured by each union, are scheduled to be announced on October 17.
The unions campaigned on issues including the resolution of long-pending employee grievances, welfare demands and the proposed absorption of TGSRTC into the state government. The election will determine which unions represent employees in negotiations with the management on service-related demands and other issues.
